


Heavenly Henrik

by SilentScreaming



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentScreaming/pseuds/SilentScreaming
Summary: An old lady remembers.
Relationships: Henrik/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Heavenly Henrik

On reflection I was an idiot not to fall head over heels for Henrik at first sight. It's okay, I'm grown, I can accept that no amount of education can teach you love.

That morning I sat on the roof terrace and reflected; Priya had probably done me a favour by staking her claim on Rahim, his introverted personality was never going to suit me. Then stupidly (there I go again), I'd gone for the complete opposite and convinced Rocco to leave Lottie for me. 

It had been obvious immediately what a bad choice that was. His clumsy attempt at kissing me that evening had left me cold, and badly in need of a toothbrush. 

I had just made up my mind to avoid crusties and hippies at all costs, when I heard splashes and voices from the poolside.

Henrik and Lucas were polar opposites, how those two developed such an instant bond, and how they remain such firm friends all these years later is mystery to me. Sometimes I watch them together now, and I still wonder at how each balances the other out. One ambitious yet caring, the other grounded but adventurous. 

That morning as the girls and I raced down to the pool, they both did their boyish best to exude charm and swagger. I don't know how I managed to be so dim, but despite feeling my breath stolen away by Henrik's beauty, it was Lucas who I firmly set my sights on. 

Sometimes I joke I was too vain to wear my glasses on TV, so didn't see him properly. The truth is Lucas' tailored good looks, impeccable manners, and perfect pronunciation marked him out as being the antithesis of Rocco; and therefore exactly what I was looking for.

By comparison a mixture of nerves and cultural differences ment Henrik came across as somewhat naive and immediately set him up as the target for the other boys pranks.

For my part I heard survivalist and put him firmly (and unfairly) in the _crusty_ box. Drilling myself to ignore his gorgeous looks, in favour of the far more 'suitable' Lucas.

Henrik confided in me later that he has almost no memory of our first date. He rolled through his pre prepared chat up lines, too nervous to listen to my answers. Apparently during his second date, Lotti terrified him by claiming to be a witch, so I suppose by comparison I came across okay. Although I'm thankful to this day he didn't notice me making eyes at Lucas on the next table over.

That evening Lotti and I had removed our make up side by side in the mirror and she'd made her claim on Henrik clear to me. I suppose having turned Rocco's head already she thought I might be competition. Since I'd convinced myself that Lucas was the right choice, I easily agreed that I wouldn't make any moves on Henrik. 

Two minutes later I turned the corner into the bathroom and came face to face with perfection. Henrik with his hair tied back, revealing a face so heavenly that the Gods themselves would cry in envy. 

In that moment I knew. My breath caught, my world seemed to enter slow motion and I swear I felt each pulse of my heart in every nerve of my body. I knew that I was looking at my future. 

My knees threatened to buckle beneath me, and I think I must have grabbed onto the door frame to keep myself upright. Henrik reached out to catch me, thinking I was about to faint, then he very literally swept me off my feet.

Perhaps, you are thinking to yourself, this is an overly romanticised memory of an old lady. Maybe you are right, and we were just two horny kids, mistaking lust for love. You can have lust without love, and I suppose some couples can survive with love but no lust. For us it was both.

I don't want to gross you out, I'm an old lady now, and no one wants to know what Henrik and I get up to when the family are all gone and we are alone. But I will tell you that though he face is lined with experiance, and somewhat obscured by his long greyed beard, it is still as heavenly to me today as it was then.

I look up from my writing desk now, and see Henrik and Lucas sitting in harmony on the porch playing chess. The wooden pieces lovingly crafted my Henrik's grandfather long before either of them were born. Lucas will as ever play with strategy and determination, while Henrik will be re telling stories that they both know by heart. He never cares for winning, only spending time with his oldest friend. 

Behind them there is a lively scene. Lucas' twins Ben and Albie, still so competive even though they are in their 40s now and have wives and children of their own, chop wood for the fire we will light tonight. They lead such busy lives, but always make time to visit us _Vikings_ for the solstice. Erica and Spen are returning from fishing met by a gaggle of children from both families eager to see what they caught.

Safely indoors by the fireplace Chelsea sits in my rocking chair, gently humming to herself. She started off shelling peas, but the peas and pods now lay discarded. Increasingly her mind wanders away from us. I see the fear in her children's eyes that she'll get more and more lost in her daydreams. But I also see the look in her eyes when Lucas takes her hand. She was always his kite, fluttering freely where the wind took her, while he kept her safe and grounded. I see this still when he talks to her, or sings she still comes back to him.

The distance has never dimmed our friendships. Though we settled in our tiny village amongst the ffiods and mountains, while Lucas and Chelsea stayed in the bright lights of London.

On my wedding day it was Chelsea who braided my hair with flowers, while Lucas kept Henrik from some of the more wild rituals he claimed his forefathers followed. 

For my part, I'm proud to say I was in the room at the birth of all 5 of Chelsea's children. She always claimed that despite Lucas being a doctor, she didn't want him down business end when the baby came. Claiming it might 'spoil the magic', she always did crack me up.

**Author's Note:**

> This story got away with me, and didn't end up at all where I had planned.  
> I'll leave it here anyway, perhaps it will be of interest to someone.


End file.
